In the past, most automated vending machines, also known as automated retail kiosks, were used for dispensing beverage cans, bottles, snacks, or other small durable products. More recently, there has been a demand for developing automated vending machines which can dispense products of varying size, ranging from large boxed products to small or thin gift cards or personal accessories, and which can dispense delicate objects, such as electronics.
One of the problems associated with conventional automated vending machines, and with recently developed machines, is the difficulty associated with handling products that may vary in various respects such as size, shape and weight. Existing automated vending machines, for example, have difficulty securely dispensing both small accessories, such as jewelry, and heavier sensitive products, such as laptops, within the same system. Attempts at mechanizing the shelving system in an automated vending machine entails additional moving parts, and thus entails frequent maintenance concerns. Even still, existing automated vending machines lack the ability to display products upright as they would appear in a retail store, accept product returns, and restock products in the way that can be done at a retail store.